Textile material and method of making same



Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES TEXTILE MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAK- INGS AME

wuuam Whitehead, Cumberland, Md., ass ignor to Oelanesc Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application June 12, 1930,

. Serial No. ass-1c 12 Claims. (01. 19-66) This invention relates to a treatment or preparation of staple fibers, which are more suitable for spinning or other textile operations than those heretofore produced.

An object of the invention is the preparation of anti-static staple fibers, especially those made from or containing organic derivatives of cellulose. Another object of the invention is the treatment and preparation of staple fibers, made from or containing organic derivatives of cellulose, with an anti-static finish wherein the coemcient of friction of the resulting fibers may be controlled, thus permitting the regulation of the drafting of such fibers in spinning operations.-

A further object of the invention isthe preparation of yarns or fibers with an anti-static finish which scours readily from the same in hard or soft water and which does not afi'ect the luster or dyeing properties of the yarns or fibers. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The formation of spun yarn from comparatively short lengths or staples of filaments or threads composed of organic derivatives of cellulose presents serious difliculty. This is due to the fact that such organic derivatives of cellulose have a very high di-electric constant and are very poor conductors of electricity, and when the filaments are rubbed together during the various operations involved in mixing, carding, combing and spinning, a heavy charge of static electricity is produced. Because of the static electrical charge, the staple fibers containing organic derivatives of cellulose do not adhere to each other readily and cause great difficulty in the textile operations.

I h'ave'found that, if an emulsion of an inorganic electrolyte and a lubricant containing a lubricating aid such as a sulphonated fatty alcohol or a salt thereof is applied to or incorporated with staple fibers containing organic derivatives of cellulose, the tendency to generate static electricity during the textile operations is greatly J reduced. Moreover, I have found that if such an emulsion is applied to or incorporated with continuous lengths of artificial filaments, especially those made by the dry or evaporative method of spinning, the great difiiculty encountered in drafting and cuttingsuch filaments .to uniform staple lengths is overcome.

For a number of yearslolutions of electrolytes in aqueous and non-aqueous solvents have been used as a finish for staple fibers. Although some of these finishes are excellent anti-static finishes,

they usually impartscroopiness to the yarn.

Moreover, some finishes are corrosive, particularly if applied in amounts over 1% on the weight of the fiber, and some others do not uniformly adhere to the staple fiber. In textile operations requiring carding by the woolen, worsted, cut silk or cotton method of forming slivers, rovings and yarns, his very essential that the coemcient of friction (i. e. the ease with which the fibers slip over each other) of the fiber be controlled. in order that a good drafting may be had and in order that yarns of fine size may be formed from said rovings. By employing the emulsion of electrolyte in accordance-with my invention the coefiicient of friction of the'prepared fibers may be controlled such that in either the cotton method or the woolen method of forming. yarns, an excellent drafting is attained. The finish produces a lubrication of the fibers sufiicient to allow the fibers to slip over one another in drafting operations, permitting the formation of yarns 20 of 30 count of finer measured by the cotton method of measuring yarn.

A further advantage of my invention is that the emulsion of electrolyte may be applied to fibers consisting of a mixture of woolen or other animal fibers and staple length fibers of organic derivatives of cellulose. The emulsion prepared in accordance with my invention has no deleterious effects upon wool or cotton and does not interfere with textile operations to which the material is subjected. It may, therefore, be applied to mixtures of derivatives of organic derivatives of cellulose, wool and/or cotton; or it may be applied to staple fibers of organic derivatives of cellulose which are to be mixed with wool and/or 5 cotton.

In accordance with my invention, I treat or prepare staple fibers with a solution or an emulsion containing an inorganic electrolyte, a lubricant and a sulphonated compound of the fatty 40 alcohol typezthat acts as an agent in stabilizing the emulsion of inorganic electrolyte and lubricant. By,the term sulphonated fatty alcohol is meant the fatty alcohols that contain either or both the H80: and/or the S04 groups. The sul- 5 phonated compound of the fatty alcohol type' also acts as an agent effecting the penetration and uniform covering of the fibers by the emulsion and for effecting the adherence of the emulsion in or onthe fibers. emulsion mayconsist of a mineral oil, a mineral oil and a fatty acid, or a mineraloil, fatty acid and a soap. The emulsion of inorganic e'lec trolyte and lubricant may be incorporated in relatively continuous lengths of ,artificial fila- 55 The lubricant in the i ments in any suitable manner and the continuous lengths may then be cut into staple fibers, or else the staple fibers themselves may be treated with the emulsion of the inorganic electrolyte either during or after cutting or before any spinning operation, or at any suitable intermediate stage of the spinning operation, or the emulsion may be applied to the roving or yarn formed of the fibers.

While this invention is of general application and is applicable to. the treatment of natural fibers such as cotton or wool or staples cut from natural silk or yarns or filaments made of reconstituted cellulose (such as may be made by the viscose, cuprammonium or nitrate method), it is of particular importance in connection with staple fibers made 'of organic derivatives of cellulose such as organic esters of cellulose and cellulose ethers. Examples of organic derivatives of cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, cellulose propionate and cellulose butyrate, while examples of cellulose ethers are ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose.

Therefore, this invention will be described more particularly in connection with the preparation or treatment of staple fibers made of cellulose acetate or other organic derivatives of cellulose.

The artificial filaments of organic derivatives of ,cellulose may be formed from solutions of the same in suitable solvents by extruding said solutions through orifices into a dry or evaporative atmosphere as in dry spinning or by extrusion through orifices into a bath containing a precipitating liquid as in wet spinning. Such filaments may be treated while in the untwisted state by my process, or two or more of such filaments may be associated together by twisting, to form yarns or threads, which yarns or threads may be treated by my process; The emulsion with which I treat or prepare yarns or fibers may contain from 60 to 90 parts by weight of mineral oil, 10 to 35 parts by weight of a sulphonated fatty alcohol or a salt thereof, which sulphonated fattyalcohol may contain traces of unsulphonated fatty alcohol, from 5 to 10 parts by weight of a fatty acid, from 3 to 10 parts of a 10% solution of an inorganic electrolyte in water and from to 200 or more parts by weight of water. These mixtures present a peculiar behavior. For instance, in the emulsions containing no water, by the addition to 100 cubic centimeters of the same of ccs. of the solution of a magnesium chloride electrolyte, there is caused a separation of the mineral oil only, whereas upon the addition of 1 to 3 cubic centimeters more of the electrolyte solution there is found van almost clear homogeneous mixture with only a faint cloudiness and no separation even after standing for many days. A further addition of the electrolyte solution may cause a complete separation of both the oil and the sulphonated fatty alcohol or the salt thereof from the emulsion.

' either where organic derivatives of cellulose fibers are used alone or mixed with wool fibers and cotton fibers, a mineral oil having from 50 to 54 seconds viscosity (Saybolt) is found suitable. However, a mineral oil having a lower or higher viscosity may be employed. In place of some or all of the mineral oil, there may be substituted a vegetable oil such as olive oil, castor oil, etc.

The lubricant aid, generally referred to as a sulphonated fatty alcohol or a salt thereof, may be the sulphonated product of any suitable alcohol, for instance, lauryl, oleyl; palmityl, etc. which sulphonated product contains either or both the sulphonic or sulphate groups. The sulphonated fatty alcohol may contain from a trace to as high as 5% to 10% or more, based on the weight of the sulphonated fatty alcohol, of the free or unsulphonated alcohol. The sulphonated fatty alcohols may be used in the form of their sodium, potassiumor amine salts. For instance, the triethanolamine salt of the sulphonated fatty alcohol is found to be exceptionally suited for forming the anti-static finish. In place of employing as a basic material the salt of the sulphonated fatty alcohol, the salt may be formed in the emulsion by adding the base to the emulsion in an amount sufficient to neutralize the acid present. By the term sulphonated fatty alcohol compound" used in the specification and claims it is intended to include sulphonated fatty alcohols, the sodium, potassium, triethanolamine, and other salts of the sulphonated fatty alcohols and/or either of the above two compounds or a mixture of same, as well as such compounds that contain from a trace to 10% or more ofthe unsulphonated fatty alcohol.

As a further lubricating aid and emulsifying aid, the emulsion may contain from 5% to 10% of a fatty acid. Any suitable fatty acid may be employed, for instance, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, etc. In place of the fatty acids or together with the fatty acids maybe the sodium, potassium or triethanolamine soaps of the same or different fatty acids.

While any suitable inorganic electrolyte may be employed, I prefer to employ a hygroscopic inorganic electrolyte, examples of which are magnesiumchloride, magnesium citrate, magnesium nitrate, magnesium chlorate, airmionium citrate, calcium chloride, calcium nitrate, zinc chloride, or a mixture of two or more of these.

The emulsion of lubricant, electrolyte and lubricating aids may be diluted to any suitable concentration or viscosity by the addition of water. The amount of water employed will depend upon the nature of application of the emulsion to the yarn or fiber and to the textile operation towhich the fiber will be subjected. The emulsion containing only the water necessary to dissolve theelectrolyte may be employed, or the emulsions may contain up to 200% or more of water based on the weight of the relatively waterfree emulsion.

The amount of the individual compounds present in the emulsion and the amount of emulsion applied will vary in accordance with the nature of the electrolyte, the lubricant, the nature of the staple fibers and the results to be obtained. Generally, for the cutting and spinning by either the cotton or woolen method of forming yarns, the amount of the individual compounds will be present in about those proportions specified in the examples hereinafter given.

The amount of such emulsion applied to or incorporated in the fibers will be from 1% to 10% based on the weight of the fibers, of the substantially water-free emulsion. Where the emulsion contains water, allowance should be made in the application ofgthe same to the fibers so that upon the evaporation of the water to equilibrium with the atmosphere the desired amount of finish will remain on the fiber. Excellent results have been obtained by the application of from 1% to 4% based on the weight of thefibers of the emulsion containing approximately 50% by weight ofiwater.

The filaments or yarns may be treated with the emulsions of the electrolyte while they are still in the comparatively continuous lengths in. which they are formed. Conveniently the emul- .in the forms of hanks or other suitable packages rior to being cut into staple or chappe of suitits length. Instead of treating the filaments after their formation with the emulsion of. electrolyte, such emulsions may be added to or incorporated in the spinning solution in which said filaments are formed, whereby filaments containing such emulsions are formed directly.

Alternatively staple fibers, either natural, such as cotton or wool, or those formed by the'cutting of continuous lengths of natural silk or artificial filaments may be treated with the emulsion of electrolyte. In this case the staple fibers may be placed in bags which are immersed in the bath of the emulsion and which, for convenience, may be tied in bundles prior to immersion in the bath. The treatment of the staple fibers may also be made during the intermediate stage of the spinning operation, such as immediately after lapping, carding, drawing, or slubbing. A

preferred means of applying the emulsion to staple fibers out from substantially continuous lengths of filaments containing organic derivatives of cellulose is to spray the emulsion upon the cut fibers as they leave the cutting knives and are blown into a storage space. A still further method of applying the emulsion to fibers is during a mixing or picking operation in which case the emulsion is blown, in an atomized form, or

sprinkled upon the fibersas they leave the mixer or picker. A still further method of applying the emulsion is in a manner similar to that employed for a long. time in the wool method wherein a layer of the fiber is laid upon an oiling floor and the same sprinkled by hand or otherwise with' the emulsion and then a further layer ,laid down and this sprinkled and so on.

As to the length of the staple fiber, lengths ranging from or more than inches are suitable. The artificial filaments may be of any suitable weight per unit length, say from 1 to 30 or more denier. Examples of which are 1.9, 2.5, 3, or 5 denier.

After treatment with an emulsion of electrolyte, the short lengths of filaments or fibers are then subjected to a suitable spinning operation, such as those operations used for the spinning of the short lengths of natural silks, cotton or wool fibers to form threads. Any of the wellknown systems may be employed to form the yarns or threads, such as the cotton system, the

woolen system, the worsted system, the French system, the spun silk system, the Bradford system, etc. These spinning operations also include the preliminary treatments necessary to present the filaments or fibers in theform required for the actual operation of twisting them into yarn. This may include carding, lapping, mixing, spinning, opening up, etc.

-In order to further illustrate my invention without being limited thereby the following specific example is given:

Example parts by weight of a sulphonatedfatty alcohol compound containing approximately 5 parts by weight of unsulphonated lauryl alcohol and 7 parts by weight of oleic acid. These ingredients are mixeduntil' a clear solution is obtained. This is emulsified with substantially 50 parts by weight of water. Magnesium chloride is dissolved in water to approximately a 10% solution and '7 parts by weight of this 10% solution is filtered and added to substantially 50 parts by weight of more water. The magnesium chloride solution is then poured into the oil-sulphonated fatty alcohol saltemulsion and agitated until a homogeneous-appearing emulsion is formed. Staple fibers, during a cutting operation, are sprayed with this solution in such an amount that from 1% to 4% on the weight of the fiber of emulsion is applied. The staple fibers are found to be anti-static and sufiiciently lubricated to pass through all the textile operations without deleterious effects and be formed by the woolen method of making yarns into a yarn of a. finer size than 25 count.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illusof an electrolyte in water an unsulphonated oil and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

2. In a. method of forming spun yarn of cellulose acetate fibers, the step of incorporating in such fibers a non-volatile emulsion of an electrolyte in water, a. mineral oil and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

3. In a method of forming spun yarn containing comparatively short lengths of fibers of organic derivative of cellulose, the step of incorporating in such fiber a non-volatile emulsion of an electrolyte in water, an unsulphonated oil and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

4. In a method of forming spun yarn of organic derivatives of cellulose fibers, the step of incorporating in such fibers a non-volatile emulsion of an electrolyte in water, a lubricant that contains mineral oil and a fatty acid, and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

5. In a method of forming spun .yarn of cellulose acetate fibers, the step of incorporating in such fibers a non-volatile emulsion of an electrolyte in water, a lubricant containing mineral oil and a fatty acid, and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

6. In a method of forming spun yarn of organic derivatives of cellulose fibers, the step. of incorporating with the fibers a non-volatile emulsion comprising '7 parts by weight of a 10% solution of an electrolyte in water, 80 parts by weight of mineral oil, 7 parts by weight of a fatty acid and 30 parts by weight of a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

7. In a method of forming spun yarn of cellulose acetate fibers, the step of incorporating with the fibers a. non-volatile emulsion comprising 7 parts by weight of a 10% solution of an electrolyte in water, 80 parts by weight of mineral oil, '7 parts by weight of a fatty acid and 30 parts by weight of a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

8. In a method of forming staple fibers or filaments made of organic derivatives of cellulose, the step of incorporating therewith a non-volatile emulsion of an electrolyte in water, a mineral oil and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

9. In a method of forming staple fibers or filaments made of cellulose acetate, the step of intaining as a finisha non-volatile emulsion of an 10 electrolyte in water, a. mineral oil and a sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

12. Staple length fiber of cellulose acetate containing as a finish a non-volatile emulsion of an electrolyte in water, an unsulphonated oil and a 15 sulphonated fatty alcohol compound.

WILLIAM WHITEHEADQ 

